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Belly of the beast
"What's cooking!" Azure proclaimed as he burst into a room with hobgoblins. Stunned for a moment they stare before one starts shouting "Intruder!" and leaves for an adjacent room and starts ringing an alarm bell. The other hobgoblins start to form up but get destroyed by Azures burning hands. The remainder put up a good fight, the odd hobgoblin coming in as backup. A captain then arrives, assesses the situation and calls for a retreat as well as sending troops to block the path behind them. The party decide to run into the large complex of corridors and rooms, trying to subvert large patrols, deal with solo or small teams of hobgoblins, the get to a corridor which at the end has several longbowmen firing arrows upon them. With sounds of soldiers behind them they spot a door and decide to dart through it, luckily missing oncoming arrows. As they crash through they step onto a cobbled street, the party are now looking at the great undermountain city of Krag Magduggon. Krag Magduggon sits ontop of a large underground canyon which is shaped like a waxing moon, splitting the city into two parts, the western outer citadel and the eastern inner citadel which is joined in the middle by a large stone bridge. The party realise that they've come out of a door adjoining the city barracks in the southern quadrant of the outer citadel. Behind them a patrol of Hobgoblins are in pursuit and to the south from the barracks main gate a large contingent of hobgoblins charge out lead by the captain. Ansem starts to northwards towards the bridge the rest of the party following. Hails of arrows descend on the party, A fog cloud is cast to cover the party as the move closer and closer to the bridge and the large square before it. You all arrive at the centre of the square, more hobgoblins start to filter from the western and northern entrances seal off all escape apart from crossing the bridge towards the inner citadel but the sounds of war chants come from the inner citadel's gatehouse, a lone hobgoblin warlord and his elite guard march across it stopping halfway. The hobgoblin continues alone and stops 20ft from the party. Introducing himself as Malbak the Loyal the general of the army and in service of the Lord occupying the Citadel. The Lord wishes to speak to the party and Malbak escorts the party into the inner citadel and to the great hall. The Lord introduces himself after querying the party on how they managed to sneak into the city. Lord Gambion Everspire offers the party death or service under advisement of his wife Lady Everspire. He tells them that they are guests and are confined to the west wing. But in the morning they will go to the caverns and kill "The Tunneller" to ensure the party don't attempt to run away and escape he offers a reward of a wooden box with magical powers and also the bonded service of Calcifer a shadow with an attitude problem. The night is plagued with nightmares and in the morning the party decend into the caverns lead by Calcifer. They fight Nothics, A Black Pudding and now the body of a dwarf lays slumped on a workroom table. His flesh grey and marked by hundreds of holes. Omen manages to sneak up behind him and slice him down the back, He squeals in terror as he opens like an unzipped bag, thousands of worms occupying the empty space where is organs should be. Watch out guys, those worms look nasty!